Holy
Trinity Church
Waterhead, Oldham
The history of Holy Trinity Church,
Waterhead
Waterhead is the name of an area to the north east of
Oldham, on the road between Manchester and Huddersfield. At the time of the
1851 census, it was called ‘Waterhead mill’. Today, Waterhead
is located next to parts of Greenacres, Salem, Moorside
and Lees, and Austerlands and Scouthead
from the west side of Saddleworth.
Unlike today, Waterhead was once a small
village on the periphery of Oldham rather than a suburb of the town. The
countryside between Oldham and its outlying hamlets was in truth poor-quality
moorland and scrub, as local names testify: Moorside
= land adjacent to infertile land; ‘Oldham edge’
= beyond the habitable portion of Oldham; ‘Coldhurst’ = heathland that was
presumably damp because its cold was proverbial; and so
on.
Being too poor for agriculture, the land
between Oldham and Waterhead was cheap. This explains why so many northern
towns grew so fast when the Industrial Revolution gathered pace: local
entrepreneurs could buy large tracts of local land when building their
manufacturing mills. Waterhead and indeed the whole Oldham area experienced
extensive industrialised
growth from the late eighteenth and into nineteenth centuries. Much of that
growth centered around the newly built cotton mills, although there was still a
significant coal industry.
Waterhead village was
the site of considerable industry and commerce, including coal mining and
cotton spinning. In Waterhead, people’s lives were dominated by cotton mills,
such as Majestic Mill (pictured), owned by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation. Cairo
Mill was used by Ferranti for many years. As late as 2005, Waterhead was still
being described as ‘dominated by early 20th century mills.’[1]
As the village expanded, many of its
members believed it needed a new church. The Congregational Church already had
two local meetings, in Springhead and Greenacres. Further congregational
services commenced in local cottages in 1837; and Waterhead chapel was built in
1870 on Huddersfield Road. A further chapel at Pastures was built in 1856 (and
closed in 1963).[2] The
Primitive Methodists also built a chapel in Heywood Street,[3] and
a New-Connection Methodist chapel was
erected on Spring Hill.[4]
Historically,
the village lay in the ecclesiastical parish of Prestwich cum Oldham — as did
virtually all of modern-day Oldham. In the early years of Victoria’s reign, the
village lay in the Parish of St James, although the nearest Established Church
was St John the Baptist Church, located
about ½ mile away in Hey or Lees. So it was felt that Waterhead needed its own
Established Church.
A new
start
A new parish was formed in Waterhead in 1844[5] and, at virtually the same time, the Revd
P H Reynolds was appointed its first Vicar, in 1845. The
living was intended as a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Crown and
the Bishop of Manchester, alternately. The Vicar’s net salary was £150.
At this time there was still no local
church building, so services (and Sunday-school classes) were held in a room
above 2 cottages located in two rooms in the Grove, off Sidebottom Street.[6] The new Vicar nicknamed the site, ‘The
Old Cathedral.’
Numbers grew fast, so sufficient money
was raised to build a church. A. R. Sidebottom presented the sites for
both the church and proposed schools. The building was dedicated to the Holy
and Undivided Trinity, and is a beautiful structure in the style of the 13th
century, containing accommodation for 800 people. It was consecrated on 5 July 1847 by the then Bishop of Chester (because the Diocese of
Manchester was founded slightly later that same year as a ceded section of the
Chester Diocese). Building this new church cost a little over £3600, of which £1380
was contributed by church-building societies, and the remainder collected from
the inhabitants of Waterhead and Oldham. It had neither spire nor tower. A further appeal
raised another £1400, allowing the building of the tower and spire in 1876.
This tower contained a single bell. Later still, the church grew further to
include a vestry and organ chamber.
Meanwhile, the envisaged day school was
built in 1852. Old parish magazines show how The Waterhead National School received very good reports whenever
the inspector called.
Waterhead ‘village’ changed beyond all
recognition. For example, in the 1861 census, Waterhead had a population of
only 3941.[7] In
the 2001 census, that number had risen to 12,876.[8] The principal
cause of this building boom was the Industrial Revolution, as above.
Amazingly, despite its age, our church has
only had 12 Vicars, in part due to two of them staying an inordinate length of
time: ‘Daddy’ French, as he was affectionately known, was incumbent for 48½
years; and Vicar Shaw for 37½ years.
During its lifetime, Holy Trinity has of
course seen many changes. Firstly, the building and its fittings: the balcony
at the west end were removed in the 1930s; the elaborately carved poppy corbel
pew ends were cut down in the early 1960s; we have had two organs; a few
pulpits (including a triple-decker); and four lecterns.
Secondly, the Waterhead area has changed
beyond recognition. The school closed in 1966, and all the property in the
immediate vicinity of the church was demolished in the late 60s and early 70s.
Many church members were moved out — and many never returned. The replacement
included a new Church Hall, and modern housing around the church. A
sheltered-housing complex is now juxtaposed with the Hall.
The composition of the congregation has
changed. There is now a greater
mix of the generations in the 50 or so adults who attend, and a goodly number of children in the
Sunday Schools.
The most recent change is perhaps more
administrative. Holy Trinity joined the Medlock Head Team Ministry in 2007:
first it joined St John the Baptist, Hey or Lees, and more recently with St Barnabas’
Clarksfield. The
church was listed Grade-II in 2006 (please click here for the statement
of significance).
Which brings us into the twenty-first
century. We now have well
advanced plans to re-order the church interior, with a kitchen area and
disability-compliant toilets. It is certainly an exciting time to be a member
of Holy Trinity!
Vicars of Waterhead Parish Church
In its 170 year history, Waterhead Church has been led
by twelve Vicars:
|
Revd P H Reynolds |
1845–1854 |
|
Revd F B Broadbent |
1855–1878 |
|
Revd James Gouldie French |
1878–1926 |
|
Revd E B Moulding |
1926–1933 |
|
Revd E E Pearson |
1933–1938 |
|
Revd H Hunter |
1938–1948 |
|
Revd L Howe |
1948–1952 |
|
Revd R J Hunting |
1953–1956 |
|
Revd Charles E Shaw |
1957–1994 |
|
Revd Garry Whittaker |
1995–2005 |
|
Revd Douglas Oates |
2006–2008 |
|
Revd Dr Paul Monk |
2009–present |
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Page posted 5 December 2010